This invention relates to an ampoule breaker that can be used to remove the head from a glass ampoule containing a medication or other material which must be kept sterile or under an asceptic condition.
Medications of various sorts are often packaged in a glass container or ampoule. Since glass is substantially inert and non-absorptive, medication can be stored in such ampoules safely for long periods of time.
An ampoule is generally constructed with a main body portion containing the medication and a head portion which is separated from the body by a neck of reduced cross section. The individual removing the medication from the ampoule is expected to break off the head portion by applying a twisting or bending force to the head. Often when the head portion is broken off, a jagged, sharp edge remains on the body or head portion.
A problem faced by medical personnel when using these glass ampoules is that their fingers could be cut from the sharp jagged edge formed where the neck breaks. Also the ampoule head itself may break unexpectedly when a twisting force is applied to it in order to open the ampoule. This unexpected breaking apart of the head could be due to faults in the glass or rough handling of the ampoule from the time it leaves the factory to arrival at the hospital or clinic.
It is already known to provide a plastic hand tool to assist medical personnel in the removal of ampoule heads. One such hand tool is taught in Canadian Pat. No. 1,022,130 issued Dec. 6, 1977 to IMS Limited. The known tool has two oppositely facing cylindrical members each of which is open at its outer end. The closed ends of the members are joined and separated by an intervening web of material. The walls of each cylinder are inwardly elliptically digitally deformable and can recover to their original form upon release of the digital pressure. Each of the cylinders has a length adapted to receive the upper portion only of an ampoule and each has a diameter adapted to loosely receive this upper portion. The cylinders are of different sizes in order that the tool can be used to open medicine ampoules of two different standard sizes.
The disadvantage of the known hand tool for opening glass ampoules is that a single tool is only able to open ampoules of two predetermined sizes and any ampoules of a different size require a further, separate tool. Since glass ampoules are sold in many cifferent sizes, ranging for example from 1 mm to 50 mm, quite a number of the known hand tools would be required in order to provide means for opening all of these different ampoules.
A further problem with the known hand tools is that the person using it must first determine which end of the tool must be used to fit the particular ampoule to be opened since the size of the cylindrical ends may vary only slightly, the correct end to be used may not be readily apparent.
The ampoule breaker of the present invention provides a reliable tool that can be used quickly to open ampoules of different sizes. Moreover the ampoule breaker disclosed herein is of very simple construction and yet it provides ample protection for the fingers of a person breaking off the head of an ampoule.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ampoule breaker which obviates and mitigates from the aforementioned disadvantages and difficulties of the prior art.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an ampoule breaker which comprises a body member capable of being held in a persons hand, said member including a hollow end portion constructed of flexible resilient material and having an open end adapted to receive an ampoule head. The end portion is formed with slots extending axially from the open end. The slots comprise two generally V-shaped slots located on diametrically opposite sides of the end portion, the narrow end of each slot being disposed away from said open end. The slots permit the end to be compressed between the person's fingers so that an ampoule head located in the end portion can be firmly held therein and broken off by manipulation of the breaker.